Texas Woman’s University and a new non-profit organization are giving
women a second chance at a college degree and a career.

Empowering Women as Leaders, a non-profit organization headquartered in Southlake,
was formed in 2004 with the goal of providing financial support and mentoring
for women over age 23 to earn a degree. EWL partnered with Texas Woman’s
University to establish its scholarship program and identify scholarship candidates.

“We looked at colleges in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that are supportive
of women,” EWL founder and president Carolyn Pineda said. “We are
extremely fortunate to have TWU as a partner to help us get started.”

Dr. Richard Nicholas, TWU’s vice president for student life, said the
partnership with EWL was a natural for the university.

“Their goal to assist women, especially nontraditional-aged women, to
complete their education has been a mission of TWU’s for a long time,”
he said. “The mentoring aspect of the scholarship may have as much, if
not more, value to the students than the dollars. It’s more than a donation;
it’s a relationship. It’s a measure of the commitment these women
have to helping other women.”

Scholarships are provided to women ages 24 and older who are regarded as having
a high potential for success. In addition to the $1,500 per year provided by
the scholarship, recipients, who are called“Stars,” will receive
mentoring throughout college and for the first two years of their career. Those
Stars then go on to mentor new Stars in the program.

Ms. Pineda, vice president of professional services for Sabre Holdings in Southlake,
said that pairing the Stars with women who have achieved success in the workplace
helps them prepare professionally and provides them with emotional support.

“Many people who go to college later are worried about returning to school,”
said Ms. Pineda, adding that she started college at age 26. “It’s
essential to have support at that time in your life.”

Though EWL initially planned to sponsor only one student its first year, two
recipients were selected. Galynn Draper-Lindemann of Denton graduated in May
with a bachelor of social work degree and has entered TWU’s Executive
MBA program. Vanessa Lee White of Dallas received her bachelor of fine arts
degree in photography in May.

The concept of implementing “reading across the curriculum” in
America’s schools is gaining attention as more emphasis is being placed
on adolescent literacy issues. One Texas Woman’s University reading professor
says the movement goes beyond teaching students “how” to read to
gaining a better understanding of “what” they’re reading.

“Schools haven’t been doing a good job of preparing students to
adequately read more complex texts as they move through the grades,” said
Dr. Lettie Albright, assistant professor of reading at TWU.

“Students can’t learn by being fed information. When they begin
their career, they often don’t know how to apply what they’ve read.
If they’re accustomed to just spitting out information, they can’t
do it.”

A recent report by ACT, an independent organization that provides college assessment
exams, among other services, revealed that many high school students graduate
without the reading skills they’ll need to succeed in college and in workforce
training programs.

The report, titled, “Reading Between the Lines,” found that only
about half of the nearly 1.2 million 2005 high school graduates who took the
ACT college admissions and placement exam met the College Readiness Benchmark
for Reading. The full report may be found at www.act.org/path/policy/pdf/reading_report.pdf.

The TWU Department of Reading addresses the issue of adolescent literacy through
a partnership with the Arlington Independent School District. The program, which
uses Title 1 funds to help teachers earn master’s degrees in reading,
draws not only reading teachers, but math, special education and career exploration
teachers as well, Dr. Albright said.

“These teachers from urban Title 1 schools have many students with different
backgrounds,” she said. “We’re exploring ways to tap into
students’ interests and strengths.”

Though many students say they’re not interested in reading, Dr. Albright
believes they’re just reading different things. “Some kids say they
aren’t readers, but they’ll read on a computer for hours. They’ll
read video game manuals, magazines and other materials,” she said.

Dr. Albright believes students need to be exposed to different, multicultural
texts. “Texts used in the classroom often are traditional Western, white
male texts that ignore diversity. This turns some of the students off reading
because they don’t see themselves.”

Dr. Albright said one of the main focal points of adolescent literacy is teaching
students to understand what they read — to question the text and question
what the author is trying to say.

“Reading is more than understanding words,” she said. “It’s
creating meaning out of the words.”

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NEWSBRIEFS

Information and news about activities, programs or TWU people may be sent
to the Office of Marketing and Communication through campus mail or by e-mail
to info@twu.edu. The deadline to receive information is the first and third
Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. for the following week. Student information
for the “People” section is not published unless it is submitted
by or in conjunction with a faculty member and that faculty member’s related
activities.

The TWU School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) will host the Institute
for Scientific Information’s Samuel Lazerow Memorial Lecture at 2 p.m.
in ASB 313. Admission is free. A reception will follow in Stoddard Hall 402.
Dr. David Levy, a professor in The Information School at the University of Washington,
will speak on “Information and the Quality of Life: Environmentalism for
the Information Age.” For more information, call 8-1-2602.

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UPDATE ON TWU PEOPLE

Please submit “People” items (faculty and staff only) to the
Office of Marketing and Communication by campus mail or by e-mail to info@twu.edu.
Include first and last names (no initials, please) and appropriate titles (ie.
Dr.).

President George W. Bush recently nominated Dr. Robert S. Martin (SLIS)
as a member of the National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring Jan.
26, 2012. The nomination requires approval by the U.S. Senate

Dr. Claire L. Sahlin (women’s studies) participated
in a session on “Standards for Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotions in
Women’s Studies,” at the Program Administration and Development
Pre-conference, National Women’s Studies Association, Oakland, Calif.,
on June 15.

Dr. Susan Chaney and Elizabeth Fuentes (nursing-Dallas)
published the article “Genitourinary Tract Infections in Men: Key Strategies
for Nurse Practitioners” in the June 2006 issue of the journal Advance
for Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Barbara Lerner (P-16 Initiatives) was invited to serve
on a nine-member team representing the state of Texas at the NASH (National
Association of System Heads)/Education Trust State Teams K-16 Summer Institute
July 23-25 in Big Sky, Mont. The goals of the institute are to enhance educator
quality, accelerate student success across P-12 and post-secondary education,
and strengthen P-16 data systems crucial to informed decision-making.

Joan Edwards (nursing-Houston) presided over the 2006 convention
of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
June 24-28 in Baltimore, Md. AWHONN serves more than 22,000 health care professionals
in the U.S., Canada and abroad. The title of the conference was “Innovate,
Lead, Care.” Dr. Sandra Cesario (nursing-Houston) presented two papers
at this conference titled: “Newborn Abandonment: Policies, Practice, and
Pregnant Women” and “A Square Peg in a Round Hole: Can Ethnicity
of Parents Contribute to High C-Section Rates?”

Chalese Connors (athletics) is a 2006 graduate of the NACWAA/HERS
Institute for Administrative Advancement, an annual residential weeklong intensive
management training program designed for coaches and administrators in intercollegiate
athletics administration. The partnership between the National Association of
Collegiate Women Athletics Administration and Higher Education Resource Services
(HERS) Mid-America began 12 years ago.

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THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AT TWU: JULY 3-16, 2006
Mon., July 3 - Library open 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; bookstore open 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fitness
& Recreation open 6 a.m. to midnight